Rhea Pillai-Leander Paes: Headed for divorce?

According to whispers in the society circles, Rhea Pillai and her husband tennis star Leander Paes are headed for a split. The duo met and fell in love at an Art of Living course. She is a qualified instructor in the Art of Living and has conducted courses all over the world. Leander made a debut in Ashok Kohli’s Rajdhani Express, a socio-political thriller.

They tied the knot in 2005 in a small, intimate ceremony, which was attended only by family and close friends. It was a second marriage for her, it was his first. Rhea got a divorce from her last husband Sanjay Dutt  in 2008. Leander was dating actress Mahima Chaudhary just before his marriage. The couple have a seven-year-old daughter Aiyana.

Apparently, Rhea and Leander have been having problems since last year. One of the reasons for the disharmony seems to be her extravagant lifestyle. It is learnt that they have contacted their respective divorce lawyers and are in consultation. She has enlisted their services of top divorce lawyer Mrunalini Deshmukh. However, friends of the couple are guarded about mentioning the D-word. They insist that matters haven’t reached that far yet. Rhea is adored by her friends and they are all hoping that things work out between the couple. In fact, one friend of Rhea’s urged this reporter to drop the article and “be nice to my friend.”

When contacted lawyer Mrunalini Deshmukh says, “I won’t comment on this.”